Overview
The Smoking Lands is a foreboding location in Crimson Desert that serves as the arena for the mandatory Hexe Marie boss encounter. The area is littered with mysterious urns and unsettling relics of dark magic, creating a haunting atmosphere that sets it apart from the natural landscapes found elsewhere on Pywel. It is here that Hexe Marie, the Follower of Darkness, awaits challengers as she nurses her vendetta against the Greymanes.
Location Profile
Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
Name | The Smoking Lands |
Type | Boss Arena / Story Location |
Boss Encounter | Hexe Marie (Follower of Darkness) |
Encounter Type | Mandatory (story progression) |
Key Feature | Urn stockpile area |
Urn Soldiers, Urn Swordsmen, magic mines |
Environment
The Smoking Lands has a bleak, oppressive atmosphere distinct from Pywel's other regions. The terrain is scarred and barren, with a hazy quality to the air that contributes to the location's unsettling feel. The area is strewn with "a slew of creepy things," as described by hands-on previewers, ranging from occult markings to the remnants of dark rituals.
The most prominent feature of the arena is the massive stockpile of urns that fills the battlefield. These urns are not decorative; they serve a direct gameplay function. Hexe Marie uses the urns to summon her Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen, pulling ceramic automatons from the clay vessels to fight on her behalf. The density of urns throughout the area gives the entire location a claustrophobic quality despite the arena itself being relatively open.
The Hexe Marie Encounter
The boss fight against Hexe Marie unfolds across two phases in this arena. She is a witch who commands crow magic, shadow manipulation, and summoned minions. The encounter was one of the early multi-phase boss fights revealed for Crimson Desert, showcased at G-STAR 2024.
Phase 1
During the first phase (marked by a blue HP bar), Hexe Marie attacks with her Crow Swarm and Crow Barrage abilities while summoning waves of Urn Soldiers from the arena's urn stockpile. She uses her Relocate ability to transform into a murder of crows and reappear at random positions, maintaining distance from the player. The urn-filled environment provides some cover but also creates obstacles that can trap the player when surrounded by minions.
Phase 2
When Hexe Marie's health drops to the red HP bar, the fight escalates. She begins using Crow Storm, a devastating channeled attack that drops crows from the sky in a frontal cone, signaled by purple-hued casting animations. She also starts summoning the more dangerous Urn Swordsmen alongside regular Urn Soldiers, significantly increasing the threat level. Her Relocate usage becomes more frequent, making her harder to pin down.
Outcome
Unlike most boss encounters, Hexe Marie does not die when defeated. After her red HP bar is depleted, she flees the Smoking Lands rather than falling in combat. This leaves her story arc unresolved and suggests she may reappear later in the game.
Lore Significance
The Smoking Lands is deeply connected to Hexe Marie's personal history. She is described as a follower of darkness who defied a sanctuary's sacred laws and "dared to break forbidden taboos by infusing darkness into her own child." Her vendetta against the Greymanes stems from the death of her child from Raventine Monastery. She confronts Kliff in the Smoking Lands seeking vengeance, and during the pre-fight dialogue, she attempts to deceive and recruit Kliff to her cause before hostilities begin.
Hexe Marie has roots in the Black Desert universe, where she first appeared in 2014 as "the deadliest Witch in history." According to Black Desert lore, she was rumored to have been nearly burned to death as a child by her village's townspeople (this is described as unconfirmed even within BDO lore), which may explain her lasting connection to places associated with fire and smoke. In Crimson Desert, her story stands on its own, and no knowledge of Black Desert is required to understand her arc.
Strategy Tips
Keep the battlefield clear of Urn Soldiers and Urn Swordsmen before committing to damage on Hexe Marie. Getting swarmed while she channels Crow Storm is one of the most common causes of death
Use explosive arrows and ice arrows to handle minion waves efficiently. Explosive arrows shatter Urn Soldiers into ceramic fragments, while ice arrows freeze groups in place
Watch for the purple-hued casting animation that telegraphs Crow Storm in Phase 2. Backslide away from the frontal cone rather than dodging sideways
The urn stockpile terrain can work both for and against you. Use urns as temporary cover from crow attacks, but avoid getting cornered against them when minions are active